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T H E W A T E R C O N N E C T I O N News For Clayton County Water Authority Employees & Retirees
Celebrating 60 Years of Service
Finance Earns 28th Consecutive National Financial Reporting Award
2015 Summer Internships in Full Swing
Finance earned its 28th consecutive Certificate of Achievement for Excellence
in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association
(GFOA) of the United States and Canada.
Each year, the Authority’s comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR) is
judged by an impartial panel to determine if it meets the high standards of the
program. This recent award is in recognition of the Authority’s CAFR for the
fiscal year ending April 30, 2014.
According to GFOA, our CAFR included a constructive “spirit of full
disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential
users and groups to read the CAFR. The CAFR is available for viewing on our
web site under the About Us Tab.
Shown above, left to right: Beverly Steward, Lynn Brooks, Andrea Stallworth,
Nikki Rhew, Heather Downing, Nikiki Johnson, Sarah Beth Shelton, Angie
Bennett, Finance Director Allison Halron, Christina Hollywood, Carol
Cameron and Connie Bowen.
Local July 4th Events
Clayton County
International Park Saturday, July 4
Live entertainment by Soul
Complete Band & 911 Band
from 1 - 7 p.m.
Fireworks at Dusk
$10 per person
claytonparks.com
City of Jonesboro
Friday, July 3
Free Concert & fireworks show
featuring a Motown Hitsville Review
Historic Courthouse
6 - 10 p.m.
Saturday, July 4
5k Independence Day run hosted by
Warriors 4 Heroes begins at
Tanama Tanning Salon, 253 North
Main Street, at 9 a.m.
Registration is $10.
July 4th Parade begins at 10 a.m.
and will be followed by a BBQ at the
Jonesboro Masonic Lodge.
Nash Farms
Saturday, July 4
Fireworks Extravaganza Fun starts
at 2 p.m. Festivities include live
music, car/motorcycle/truck show,
kids play area, hay rides,
zipline, bingo tournament, raffle,
festival foods and more.
Fireworks begin at 9:30 p.m. Cost is
$20 per vehicle up to six passen-
gers. Children 5 and under are free.
hcfireworks.com.
Summer internships at CCWA are underway for four local students.
Dwight Williams of Kennesaw State
University, is working in GIS.
Ton Nguyen of Jonesboro High
School, is working in Stormwater. Allen
Moore of Gordon State, is working in
Water Reclamation and Samantha
Romero of Morrow High School, is
working with customers at the drive-thru
window at HQ.
July 2015
2
Honoring Our U.S. Military
As we celebrate our country’s 239th birthday, we want to honor the men and
women who are serving in the U.S. Military.
Please keep everyone serving our country in your thoughts and prayers,
including the following CCWA family members:
U.S. Navy First Class Petty Officer Thomas E. Allen II, son of Linda
Allen (Water Production), brother of Tim Allen (Call Center), stationed
at Norfolk Naval Base, Virginia.
U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Keala Glanton, daughter of Pearla
Glanton (Program Mgmt./Engineering), stationed at Fort Bragg, North
Carolina
U.S. Army Private First Class Cameron Taylor, nephew of Brent
Taylor (General Services), is stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado.
U.S. Army Sergeant Nikolas Alon Forman, cousin Of Kevin Osbey
(Stormwater), stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia.
U.S. Air Force Captain Andrew Smith, son-in-law of Allison Halron
(Finance), stationed in Columbus,
Mississippi.
U.S. Army Corporal Cody Brown,
nephew of Suzanne Brown
(Administration), stationed at Fort
Riley, Kansas.
U.S. Army Master Gunnery
Sergeant E-9 Robert Webber,
uncle of Latasha Lovelady (Billing),
stationed in Quantico, Virginia
U.S. Army 1st Lieutenant Conner Gulmire, nephew of Todd Pence
(Retired from D&C), stationed in Kuwait.
U.S. Army Sergeant Ryan Fountain, son-in-law of Mark Cochran (NTS),
stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska.
U.S. Air Force Airman First Class Marquis McLester, son of Marcus
McLester (Stormwater), stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.
U.S. Marines Gunnery Sergeant Wanda Evans, sister of Marcus
McLester (Stormwater), stationed at Marine Corp Air Station, South
Carolina.
U.S. Army Captain Patrick Saxby, son-in-law of Laree DePaolo (Billing),
stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas.
U.S. Army Private First Class Chase Baker, stationed in Okinawa,
Japan; U.S. Army National Guard Private First Class Chris Baker, in
Jacksonville, Florida and U.S. Navy Chief Warrant Officer 4 Brian Baker,
serving on the U.S.S. Kearsarge - all cousins of Darlene Tuggle (IT).
CCWA Ambassadors
Meter Services and Conveyance
staff took part in Truck Day during
summer school for students with
disabilities at McGarrah Elementary
School on June 18.
Brandon Thomison and John
Pair are shown above showing
students a water meter and ex-
plained how it works while Thalmus
Duffey, Mike Hopper and Sean
Ware are shown below explain-
ing how the sewer jet truck is used
to clean out sewer lines.
Camp Macys
Introduces Visitors to
our Wetlands Center
Wetlands Center staff member
Danielle Bunch introduced 170
visitors to our center during Camp
Macys at Southlake Mall on June
14.
“Danielle was an absolute hit with
both kids and parents. With those
bird-feeders, I am sure not another
parent nor child will forget the re-
sources that the CCWA Wetlands
Center provides for environmental,”
said Saisha Delevoe with Macys.
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Marcus McLester’s son Jamar
received a $2,000 H2Opportunity
college scholarship from the Geor-
gia Association of Water Profession-
als (GAWP). Jamar recently gradu-
ated from Sandy Creek High School
and will attend Georgia Southern
University.
Mark Cochran’s daughter Abbie
was inducted into the Georgia
Association of Christian Schools
(GACS) Honor Society.
Snake Training and Safety
On June 23, 40 employees attended a Snake Education training session at
the Shamrock CUB.
Speaker Jason Clark, of Southeastern Reptile
Rescue, covered such valuable information
as snake identification, first aid and how to avoid
snake bites.
During the presentation, staff was introduced to
some venomous and non-venomous snakes found
right here in the Clayton County area.
Jason debunked some common myths about how to
tell the difference between the two.
CCWA’s retirees get together for lunch once a quarter. The luncheons are
held at the Smith Community Use Building (CUB), Newman Wetlands Center
or HQ Community Use Room.
The second quarter lunch was held at the
Smith CUB and featured a delicious fish
fry prepared by Water Reclamation’s
David Blackstock, Johnny Simmons,
Mike Crabtree and HR’s Scott Whitlock.
"On behalf of all the retirees that attended
the June 11th luncheon, we want to send
a special thanks to Johnny, David, Mike
and Scott. What a great fish fry and time of
fellowship for our retirees," said retiree
Janet Matthews.
Retired Deputy Manager Terry Hicks also
sent in a thank you: “A big thanks to all of
you for the lunch today, I think this is the
largest crowd we have had at these lunches in a while. You outdid
yourselves, and I think everyone really enjoyed the food.”
CCWA Retirees Enjoy Quarterly Luncheons
Congratulations to our Graduates
Dylan
McMullen, son
of Ty Golden
(Customer Ser-
vice), graduated
from Corner-
stone Christian
Academy Pre-K
on May 29, 2015.
Gerald Williams
Jr., son of Beverly
Steward
(Accounts Paya-
ble), graduated
from Tri-Cities High
School on May 22,
2015.
Erin Mitchell, daughter of Karen
Riser (Risk Management),
graduates from Kennesaw State
University on July 29, 2015 with her
Master of Business Degree.
4
Promotions
Congratulations to the
following winners from our
June drawing:
Takesha Blossomgame
Kevin Chapman
Joe Barnett
Jimmy Brown (Gen. Services)
Beau Jackson
Herlon Fayard
Shoal Creek WRF Supervisor
Elora Knight
Customer Service
Supervisor HQ
Beau Jackson
Lead Maintenance Mechanic
Our Condolences
Tamula Andrew (Call Center) and
her family on the loss of her grand-
father, Mr. Charlie Waters Sr., who
passed away on June 2, 2015.
Tami McKenzie (Procurement)
and her family on the loss of her
mother-in-law, Ms. Georgia McKen-
zie, who passed away on June 3,
2015.
Michelle Mirzaiee (HR) and her
family on the loss of her mother, Ms.
Camellia Davis, who passed away
on June 23, 2015.
Johnny Simmons (Water Recla-
mation) and his family on the loss of
his mother, Ms. Beverly Simmons,
who passed away on June 24, 2015.
Please keep the following employees
in your thoughts and prayers:
Nate Lee
Celebrates 15 Years of Service
Class 1 Hicks WPP Operator
Nate Lee celebrated 15 years
of service on June 6, 2015. Nate is
shown above with GM Mike
Thomas, Hicks Plant Supervisor
Jeff Smith and Water Production
Manager Kendra Stanciel.
Matt Bilz Celebrates
15 Years of Service
Construction Inspector II Matt Bilz
celebrated 15 years of service on
May 22, 2015.
Matt is shown above with Civil
Engineer Cliff Beroset, GM Mike
Thomas and Program Management/
Engineering Manager Kelly Taylor.
Keith Watkins
Celebrates 25 Years of Service
Engineering Coordinator Keith
Watkins celebrated 25 years of
service on June 8, 2015.
Keith is shown above with Program
Management/Engineering Manager
Kelly Taylor and GM Mike Thomas.
Brian Caron
Celebrates 15 Years of Service
Class 1 Northeast WRF Plant
Operator Brian Caron celebrated
15 years of service on June 29,
2015. Brian is shown above with Wa-
ter Reclamation Manager
Chris Hamilton, GM Mike Thomas
and AGM Bernard Franks.
Upcoming Training Classes
July 8 - Atlanta Gas Light Safety
July 9 - How to Write and Deliver a Great Presentation
July 14 - First Aid/CPR (Class is full)
July 22 - DOT Drug/Alcohol-Employees with CDL’s
Sign up on Sharepoint or email Alaine Mort ([email protected])
5
Twelve employees completed the seven session HABITUDES - the Art of Self
Leadership program in June.
Call Center Team Lead Michelle Palominos led a discussion using the
image of an Opportunity Statue. She said that, ”everyone has 86,400 seconds
each day to use or abuse. When a opportunity comes a person must grab it;
once it has passed you by, you can never get hold of it again. Leaders must
manage their time wisely.”
Stormwater Management Technician
Cornell Sims used the image of a Pop Quiz to talk about the tests leaders
face as they mature. Tests are opportunities that challenge individuals to prove
their potential and maturity. He emphasized that everyone experiences tests to
teach and help us grow.
CCTV Crew Leader Richard Bergmann,
facilitated a class on the topic of The
Personal Laptop. His message was that,
like computers, our minds give out data they have been fed. Leaders must be
disciplined about what they store in their hearts and minds.
The lesson, The Half-Starved Baker, was led by IT Desktop Technician Nadia
Brunson. Leaders are like bakers who spend so much time baking bread
for others, they forget to eat themselves.
Leaders must feed themselves for personal growth.
Lead Utility Service Mechanic Garfield
Cousins enjoyed teaching, Discipline
Bridge. The theme of his session was
that leaders don’t build character without
discipline. This ‘bridge’ crosses from
where you are to where you want to be
and gets you where you want to go.
CCTV Crew Leader Gerald Fuller spoke about the Emotional Fuel every
leader needs. A leader’s future is shaped by the people close to him or her.
Gerald asked each person to share their emotional fuel: their role models, he-
roes, and mentors during class.
The final Habitudes Self Leadership class
was led by Safety & Security Officer
Walter Barber. The image he used was
the Thermostat and Thermometer and his
message, “leaders want to become
thermostats and set the climate in which
they are placed. Leaders have developed
values and principles to live by.”
6
Employees Attend
Growing Leaders
Conference
Eight employees took the Water Industry - Past, Present & Future class on
June 8 and braved a sweltering tour in the afternoon while learning more about
CCWA’s operations.
The class offers
employees the
opportunity to learn
more about the water
industry along with the
history and current
operations of the
Water Authority.
Pictured: Back row:
Mike Newton, Chasten Burns, Casey Watson, Adam LaPierre and Mike
Strickland. Front row: Kawanis Howell, Ty Golden and Kwame Gyimah
CCWA & the Water Industry: Past, Present & Future
Company-wide Emergency Evacuation Drills
Part of Emergency Action Planning
By: Walter Barber, CCWA Safety and Security Officer
As you all are aware, over the past few weeks CCWA has been conducting
departmental fire drills on an unprecedented organizational scale. In an effort to
ensure the safety of CCWA personnel, each department not only conducted
and documented a fire drill, Emergency Action Plans were updated and revised
to reflect the most current and effective means to handle an emergency. From
fire drills to active shooter procedures, our EAP’s provide us with guidance in
emergency situations.
As with any plan, practice ensures efficiency. We are busy and more times
than not we have more to do than hours in our day. Still it is important that we
plan, train and test our emergency procedures so that if we have to act, we are
prepared.
Knowledge and awareness are our best tools in order to stay safe. Feedback
from our recent drills has been positive. Most facilities have shown that they
can evacuate in a matter of seconds. Still, we must continue to be diligent and
stay ahead of the curve. Emergency evacuation plans should be posted near
exits. Emergency Action Plans are on file with your supervisors/department
managers. Please take a moment to familiarize yourselves with both so that
you will be ready. Your comments, concerns and lessons learned will serve to
make us safer in the years to come.
Please do not hesitate to share them with me or your supervisors. Thank you
for your patience and cooperation throughout this process and for your
continued dedication to making this organization great!
CCWA’s nine Habitudes program
participants had the opportunity
to attend the National Leadership
Forum, an Atlanta-based confer-
ence held at Georgia Tech Confer-
ence Center, June 25 -26, 2015
immediately after finishing their
program.
The conference focused on building
skills of future leaders and under-
standing how complex leadership is.
Leaders need to build and balance
strong character and skills.
CCWA employees had the oppor-
tunity to meet and share their
thoughts about leadership with Dr.
Tim Elmore, organizer of the nation-
al conference, and author of the
Habitudes program.
Shown above, Dr. Tim Elmore
surrounded by CCWA employees:
Richard Bergmann, Scott
Cantrell, Jonathan Smith, Keith
Kiblinger, Nadia Brunson, Gerald
Fuller, Garfield Cousins,
Cornell Sims, and Michelle
Palominos.
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8
YOS YOS YOS
All CCWA Offices
will be closed
on Friday, July 3.
Jennifer Brandon 7/1
Chuck Jones 7/1
David Judson 7/2
John Chafin 7/4
Debbie Byrd 7/5
Jonathon Smith 7/5
Brandon Powell 7/6
Bob Martin 7/9
Carol Cameron 7/12
Robin Liles 7/12
Connie Bowen 7/15
Josh Clanton 7/15
Eunice Estremera 7/15
Arlando Jester 7/16
Steven Silver 7/18
Mike Gaylor 7/19
Tamula Andrew 7/19
Greg Stowers 7/19
Tim Allen 7/20
Charles Ecton 7/20
Michael Shinn 7/21
Brittany Postell 7/22
Jimmy Wilson 7/23
Larry Evans 7/24
Alison Hill 7/24
Kevin Chapman 7/25
Kim Johnson 7/25
Herlon Fayard 7/26
Robert Kindell 7/27
Mike Thomas 7/29
Chris Bond 7/30
Kelly Taylor 7/30
Larry Evans 7/2 14
Jay Maxwell 7/2 25
Mike Strickland 7/2 8
Gerald Fuller 7/5 11
Angie Bennett 7/6 28
Thalmus Duffey 7/6 16
Josh Emery 7/9 8
Cliff Terrell 7/9 8
Maureen Miller 7/12 16
Robert Cloud 7/13 28
Jim Hill 7/13 33
Sam Gilbert 7/15 2
David Keener 7/15 13
Justin Tucker 7/15 2
Boyd Cummings 7/16 8
Kwame Gyimah 7/16 8
Jimmy Blackstock 7/17 15
Scott Smith 7/17 15
Larry McClain 7/18 26
Nikki Rhew 7/18 28
Diane Phillips 7/19 9
John Pair 7/20 9
Carol Cameron 7/21 7
Denise Schmidt 7/21 7
Bernard Franks 7/22 19
Lee Dixon 7/24 9
David Judson 7/24 9
Doug Thomas 7/26 5
Mike Thomas 7/26 16
Dan Doss 7/28 29
Earnest Duffey 7/28 1
Kendra Stanciel 7/28 7
Jeff Brandon 7/29 30
Mark Childers 7/30 8
Josh Clanton 7/30 8
Daniel Dover 7/30 14
Jason Jackson 7/30 2
Cliff Beroset 7/31 15
Chris Cannon 7/31 9
Jimmy Wilson 7/31 26
